Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-10-23
LADY PNKERVONS JEWELS
fwhi,ehan Reviow.I


the chief that was to "take up the |
case.
LADY Pinkerton, who arrived here |
this morning from London, has had |
her Jewels stolen on the journey. Very
valuable. No clue as yet. Send down !
competent man at once 10 assist local |
police-ALGERNoS WADE, Aidan Castle,
DarDley, Northumberland"
So ran the message. 1t did not az
ford much information, and il did not
seem as il there wereNery much chance
OF recovering the stolen property.
However, il was perhaps too soon to
nudge Of that. telegraphed TO Sir
Aleefnon Wade, who, as | understood,
was Lady Pinkerton's host for the
present, asking that description of
the missing trinkets should be sent at
once and | arranged that the descrip-
ton should be printed and circulated
among the pawnbrOkers OF the metro
POLLS and the other large towns OF the
country without delay. These neceS-
sary matters having been attended to |
SIT ont for Kings Cross, and was soon
on my way to the north.
II was late when l arrived at my des-
iination. but at once began TO make
some inquiries. First of all l saw
Lady Pinkerton herself. Her story
was very soon told. The set OF
diamonds which had been stolen con
sisted of n necklace, pendant, tiara,
and earrings. The stones were very
fine ones-worth. she had been told, at
least $4,000. Her engagements had
compelled her. she said, to travel down
from London by night. Her husband
being in Scotland, she was attended
only by her maid, who travelled in the
compartment "a second-class one), next
to that in which Lady PinkertOn herself
performed the journey. Before leav-
ing town she had given the jewel-case
to her maid, reminding her as she did
so of the value of the gems which were
intIusted to her, and charging her not
to allox the box ont Of her sight for an
instant. According TO the maids ac-
count she never had allowed the case
to be out of her sight, yet, as matter
of fact, when poor Alice Wright-that
was the maids name-came to openthe
jewel.case it was empty. One or two
commonplace ornaments of little value
in drawer in the lower part OF the
case had been overlooked by the
thieves: hut the brilliants were gone.
could not help thinking that things
looked rather black for Alice Wright.
and naturally asked how long she had
been i'll the family, aud what kind of
character she had brought from her
last situation.
"She has been only eighteen months
with me-" replied Lady Pinkerton,
"but she came to me with an excellent
character. and ! have every confidence
in her. She may have contributed to
the loss of the Jewels by her careless
ness, hut / Will not believe for an in
slant that she is guilty Of helping to
abstract them"
This speech pleased me and rather
surprised me. II was more generous
than had expected from Lady Pinker-
ton, who had struck me as being cold
and self-possessed woman of the world
and | could not understand how the
diamonds could have been stolen with
out the maids connivance. left Lady
Pinkertons sitting room and asked for
an interview with the girl Wright. |
found her quiet, understanding, and
really ladylike young woman. There
were traces of tears on her checks, and
she trembled slightly, but that was only
natural. | had been long enough in
the police force to know that no pre-
sumption either of guilt or innocence
can be inferred from such signs as
these.
Now, I'm going to ask you few
questions l said as the girl seated her
self opposite me, "and you'll answer
them or not, Just as you think fit. 1t
would be no kindness to conceal from
YOU that certain suspicion attaches to
YOU in connection with this affair, and
therefore il is my duty to caution you.
IL You are innocent think your best
plan will be to answer frankly.
The girl merely bowed her head by
way of reply, and l proceeded to put
my first question.
"You brought Lady Pinkerton's
Jewel. case with you from London?"
81 did"
"The whole way :"
1.-THE whole way.
"When you got into the railway car
rage where d1d yOu put IL
"On the seat of the carriage, close to
me. was leaning my elbow upon 1t
nearly all the way"
How many people were there in
the carriage ?"
"a good many at first-seven, |
think, when we started-but most OF
them left the train at Peterborough
and the place we stopped at next after
Peterborough"
"When You got to York, how many
were in the compartment besides your
self 2"
"Three-an elderly man and his
wife and one young gentleman.
land after York 2"
"lhe old gentleman and his wife got
out at York.
"AnG the young gentleman ?"
HE was going to Edinburgh, he
said"
$50 YOU and he travelled alone from
York to Newcastle !? "
"Yes; that was not my fault.
Certainly not. by the way, what
did you do with the iewel-case when
YOU got out at York ,"
II never got out at York, answered
the girl rather sharply.
Never got ont ?" l echoed.
81 never left the carriage, and !
might almost say never had my hand
or my elbow OF the box from the time
we left London till We got to Newcas-
tie. At Newcastle Sir Algernon's car
rage met us.
/ felt considerably nonplussed, but
concealed my thoughts and put my
next question with an easy smile.
GAS the young gentleman and you
were left alone together, l suppose he
performed various little acts OF polite
ness for you p"
"He got me q cup of coffee at York,
answered the girl readily.
"Do You know his name "
"No."
"Or his business ?"
"No. He was quite stranger tC
me-"
"You talked together good deal ? >
eyes, good deal.
"And you told him who you were
and who was in the next compart
ment?"